In the shadow of 18th-century Serbia, a buried man rose, a village trembled, and the legend of the vampire was born.Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateInfo on the next LIVE SCREAM event. https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScreamInfo on the next WEIRDO WATCH PARTY event. https://weirddarkness.com/TVIN THIS EPISODE: Margaret Allen was hanged to death. But it’s the strange life she lived and the odd nature of her crime that still interests people in her case. (The Hanging of Margaret or Bill) *** 12-year-old Gabriel enjoyed playing games with an online friend. But when he borrowed less than two dollars for an in-game purchase from this friend, then ignored his requests to continue playing, he found himself dying the most horrifying murder you can imagine. And despite law enforcement knowing who the murderer is, he is free now – and no one knows where to find him. It is a brutally horrible story you do not want children in the room for. (A Deadly Gaming Friendship) *** Being the victim of a stalker is terrifying – not knowing when or where the person might show up next, or what they’ll do to you when they do show up. But there are those who have an even more terrifying situation – where the stalker follows them their entire lives, and there’s nothing they can do to stop it – because the stalker is paranormal. (Phantom Stalkers) *** The 1725 newspaper headline read “Bloodsucker Devastates Village!” And thus began a great vampire epidemic. (The Vampire Plague of 1725)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Show Open00:02:50.431 = The Vampire Plague of 172500:10:22.149 = The Hanging of Margaret or Bill00:18:14.717 = Mysterious But Appreciative (from Weird Darkness listener Bryan Barnes)00:31:58.167 = Phantom Stalkers00:48:21.875 = A Deadly Gaming Friendship00:53:42.097 = Show Close00:56:00.731 = BloopersSOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…“The Vampire Plague of 1725” by Jack Doyle for Ozy.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2tu2hcpu“The Hanging of Margaret or Bill” by Romeo Vitelli for Providentia.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5awpvbh9“A Deadly Gaming Friendship” by R.A. Brewster for RABrewster.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/585afzhv“Phantom Stalkers” by Jacob Shelton for Ranker.com’s Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/a3uyx6vwWeird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. = = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.= = = = =Originally aired: July 13, 2021SOURCES PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/VampirePlagueTRANSCRIPT: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3xxabzfc